18 Dec 2013

Marty Duda's artist of the week: Lee Fields

From Nine To Noon, 11:06 am on 18 December 2013

Lee Fields is a soul survivor. Although he's been recording since 1969, it has only been in the past few years that he has begun to gain any recognition. But over the past 40-plus years he has recorded a string of classic soul and funk records. Unlike many of his contemporaries he never got that one breakthrough hit, so he spent his years on the Chitlin Circuit, touring the US and biding his time. It seem that time has finally come. Like other previously obscure soul vets (Betty LaVette, Charles Bradley, Sharon Jones) Lee Fields has been discovered by a new generation of listeners hungry for that classic, old-school r&b sound. With James Brown, Otis Redding and Wilson Pickett long gone, he remains one of the few performers still able to deliver that funky, soulful sound. Lee Fields & The Expressions are due to perform at Auckland's Powerstation in January 2014.